The trend to virtualise data center hardware into more agile, scalable, cheaper infrastructure software has moved to power management, with Nlyte Software launching what is says is the first virtual power distribution unit.

The vendor says the virtual-PDU provides equivalent capabilities and functionality of hardware-based PDUs at a fraction of the price, with Nlyte claiming a 90% cost saving.

The V-PDU is available as part of Nlyte's Platinum Edition and uses the branch circuit analytics engine – a core component of Nlyte's Energy Optimiser – to provide data center management functions via software.

Doug Sabella, Nlyte Software president and chief executive, says “For far too long, IT and data center managers have been held hostage by PDU hardware vendors.

“I'm pleased to say that those days are over. With our new V-PDU capabilities we are enabling enterprises to access vital data about energy consumption at a fraction of the price,” Sabella says.

Jennifer Cooke, IDC research director for data center trends and strategies, says providing a software-driven power management model is ‘very compelling', as organisations strive to provide customer-driven IT service delivery.

“The need for speed of deployment and agility in data center resources is challenging the traditional ways of adding intelligence to manage power resources,” Cooke says.

The virtual PDU includes automatic calculations of historical power and energy use; the ability to charge back within departments; and automatic aggregation of power draw.

The offering features two network ports and provisioned addresses per panel, versus two per cabinet, with support fro more than 10 cabinets per panel, assuming 42 breaker panel.

Automatic support for data center management and alarming requirements is also included.